Safety apparatus for moving-picture machines.



A. D. STANDEPORD. SAFETY APPARATUS FOR MOVING PICTURE MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 15, 1914.

Patented Feb. 2, 1915.

A TTUR/VEV.

WITNESSES.

STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARCHIE D. STANDEFO'RD, OF KANSAS GIT.Y, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR mound-PICTURE macnnvns.

Application fi1 ed April15, 1914. Serial'lfo. 832,130;

To all whom it may concern:

Be it. known that LARGHIE D. STANDE- FORD, a citizen of the United States, residingat Kansas City, in the county of J ackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety Apparatus for Moving-Picture Machines, of which the following isa specification.

Thisinvention relates to safety apparatus for moving picture machines, and it consists of: automatic means to prevent combustion of films due to the projection of lightthereon from a kinetoscope while said films are stationary or substantially so.

It is a well-known fact that films, being very combustible, are easily ignited by the light projected thereon from a kinetoscope should they stop or pile up in front of said light. So long as the films are traveling at normal speed past the light there is no danger, but should they break or their feed mechanism get out of order and result in their stopping in the light, then they are quickly destroyed by ignition from said light.

By employing my mechanism all danger of the films burning is avoided, because accident to the films, or their feeding mecha: nism, instantly results in the automatic closing of a shutter which cuts OK the light from the projecting machine.

In order that the invention may be fully understood, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows the apparatus in operative position in a moving-picture machine. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the rojecting end of a kinetoscope provided wit a shutter andother parts emp oycd in carrying out the invention. Fig. 3 is a broken elevation of the film with certain parts of the apparatus,

adjacent thereto. Flg. 4 is a section, enlarged, on line IVIV of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a diagram of the arc lamp circult, and a communicating circuit constituting part of 1 the invention.

A designates a projecting kinetoscope provided with the customary arc-lamp B.

C designates an upper magazine and D a lower magazine containing reels and F, respectively.

G designates the film which travels from Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedFeb. 2, 1915.

the reel E to the take-up reel F, the latter beinga'ssistedi. in taking-pp the film bythe constantl'y'driven feed-rolls H and the intermittently drivenfeed-roll I.

All of the'foregoingmechanism isc'arriedby a support J, and since it is in general use, further, detailed description thereof is deemed: unnecessary.

l designates a blower driven from the upper feederoll H through the intermediacy of a flexible shaft 2. Blower 1 has a blast-pipe 3 leading'therefrom and communicating with a pair of nozzles 4 spaced equal distances; from the film (Jr, against the opposite: sides ofiwhichthey discharge blasts of air for. a, purpose. which will hereinafter appear. One nozzle is arranged slightly higher than its companion, so that the currents discharged therefrom may cross without interference, as indicated by dotted lines K, should. an accident cause the film to move out of the path of said currents.

5 designates a self-closing switch located at the opposite edge of the film from the nozzles 4 and pivotally mounted at its upper end in a housing 6, having an opening 7 adjacent the film to admit blasts from the nozzles 4.

.Housing 6fis mounted upon a block of fiber or other insulating-material 8, supporting a contact 9 adapted to coact with the switch 5 in closing a circuit 10, communicating with the arc-lamp circuit 11.

12 designates a self-closing shutter-pivotally-mounted upon. a bracket 13 secured to the projecting end of the kinetoscope A to cut off the light projected from the latter when said shutter closes. The closing movement of the shutter is checked by a stop 13*" extending from the bracket 13.

Shutter 12 is normally held in open position by a latch 14 pivotally-mounted upon a bracket 13 and engaging a shoulder 15 on the shutter.

The lower end of the latch 14 is provided with an armature 16, ada ted to be attracted by an electromagnet 1 carried by the bracket 13 and arranged in the circuit 10.

Operation: So long as the film G is being taken up properly by the reel F, it remains in the path of the two currents of air discharged from the nozzles 4, and thus deflects said currents against the switch 5, so that maaeoa the same will be held in open position. I claim and 'desire' to secure by Letters 50 Should the film break or the take-up reel F fail to properly perform its function and allow the film to pile upon the platform J and out of the path of said air currents, the switch 5 drops to closed position against the contact 9 and closes the circuit 10, which energizes the electromagnet 17 and attracts the armature 16. As the armature 16 moves toward the electromagnet 17, the latch 14 is disengaged from the shoulder 15' of the shutter 12, so that the same will drop upon the stop 13 and shut off the light from the kinetoscope A, thereby avoiding all danger of the film becoming ignited from said light. Should the operation of the film feeding mechanism become interrupted through the interruption of the circuit 11, or from any other cause, the blower 1 will stop by reason of its driving connection with said film feeding mechanism through the intermediacy of the shaft2. Stoppage of the blower 1, of course, stops the air current, so that switch 5 is permitted to swing against the contact 9 and close the circuit 10, whereby the shutter 12 is permitted to close, as above described.

When the shutter 12 is to be again opened, the film feeding mechanism is started up andthe switch 5 is opened by the air currents as before. The opening of switch 5 deenergizes, the magnet 17, so that the same will not disengagethe latch 14 from the shutter when the sameis opened, until the air currents are again interrupted.

When itlis desired'to close the shutter 12 without closing the switch 5, the circuit 10 is manually; closedto energize the electromagnet 17, by closingaswitch 19.

Automatic closingofthe shutter 12 may be avoided when desired, by manually openin the circuit 10 through a switch 20.

y automatically closing the shutter 12 through means controlled by the film feedmg mechanism, it is obvious that said shutter will" be closed immediately on the occurrence of an accident to said feeding mechanism, and hence all danger of burning the'films'is obviated. Having thus described my invention, what Patent is:

1. The combination with a projecting machine, a film and its feeding mechanism, of a self-closing shutter to cut ofi the light from said projecting machine, a latch to normally hold said shutter open, a circuit embodying means to release said latch from the shutter, and air-controlled means to normally hold said circuit open.

2. The combination with a projecting machine, its circuit, and a film arranged in front of said projecting machine, of a shutter to cut off the light from said projecting machine, an electromagnet for controlling said shutter, a second circuit communicating with the first circuit to energize said electromagnet, and air-controlled means to normally hold the second circuit open.

3. The combination with a projecting machine, and a film arranged in front of said projecting machine, of a shutter to cut 05 the light from said projecting machine, a circuit for controlling said shutter, and an air-controlled switch to control said circuit.

1. The combination with a projecting machine, and a film arranged in front of said projecting machine, of a shutter to cut off the light from said projecting machine, a circuit for controlling said shutter, a selfclosing switch to control said circuit, and nozzles to direct air blasts against opposite sides of the film to normally hold said switch open.

5. The combination with a projecting machine, and a film arranged in front of said projecting machine, of a shutter to cut ofi the light from said projecting machine, a pair of nozzles arranged to discharge-blasts against opposite sides of the film, a switch against which the air blasts are deflected by the film, and a circuit controlled by said switch for controlling the shutter.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

ARCHIE D. STAN DEFORD.

Witnesses:

' F. G. FISCHER,

F. C. Frsonra. 

